


A Little Company

by dracoqueen22



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:07:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24047161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoqueen22/pseuds/dracoqueen22
Summary: When Rodimus realizes Rung is as lonely as he is, Rodimus decides to do something about it.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 122





	A Little Company

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Popodoki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Popodoki/gifts).



Morale’s a little low, and it’s the responsibility of leadership to attend to such important matters. The crew is the spark of the ship, and without them, no captain and no mission would matter.  
  
Rodimus, as the top tier leader of the Lost Light, knows that this is his time to shine. So he has Brainstorm whip up another batch of Rodimus Stars – earning one for his efforts – and sets out on a quest to distribute them to those most deserving, which is honestly every member of his crew as far as he’s concerned.  
  
He presents them with a flourish, one by one, to each member of the crew he encounters in the hall: Expert Marksmanship to Atomizer, Best at Hiding in Vents to Skids, Brave Enough to Take Risks to Jackpot, and Expert Listener to Rung.  
  
It's the last which makes Rodimus pause mid-step and not continue on his jaunty way to deliver more golden accolades.  
  
Rung adjusts his spectacles, examines the badge, and gives Rodimus the softest, most sincere smile he's ever seen. "Thank you, Rodimus," he says. "It's nice to be appreciated."  
  
And Rodimus pauses because he may pretend to be flighty, but he's not, and he notices the odd note in Rung's vocals, the way he clutches the Rodimus Star far tighter than anyone else who received one. Most receptions had been lukewarm at best, but Rung seems genuine in his delight.  
  
Has no one ever thanked him before?  
  
"You're welcome!" Rodimus beams and plants his hands on his hips, looking Rung up and down. "And yeah, you're right. It is. That's why I do this, you know."  
  
Rung chuckles. "Yes, I assumed that was the intent."  
  
Rodimus waves a hand. "No, I mean. I am grateful because... okay." He pauses and claps his hands together, pointing his fingers at Rung. "We left Cybertron, and a lot of folks thought this was a fool's errand, but people chose to come with me anyway, and that says something, doesn't it?"  
  
Rung turns the badge over and over in his grip, giving Rodimus another one of those gentle smiles."Yes, you're right. It speaks to how much they trust you, and how much they believe in this quest."  
  
Or how eager they were to get off Cybertron, but that's neither here nor there.  
  
"And I'm not gonna lie," Rodimus admits. "It's been pretty dangerous. There have been, err, missteps, but we're still alive."  
  
Mostly.  
  
"So yes, I'm grateful for everyone who's still with me." Rodimus beams.  
  
Rung chuckles and finally stows the Star into one of his compartments. He tucks his hands behind his back and looks up at Rodimus. "Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your appreciation." His field blooms with it, warm and delighted, and Rodimus plans to preen later.  
  
That was him. He made Rung smile. Victory.  
  
Morale restored.  
  
And if that was enough, Rodimus could continue on his merry way, doling out Rodimus Stars, surfing on meteors, joining in on a game Grenade Tag and scattering when Ultra Magnus thunders in out of nowhere to break it up...  
  
Except he can't get Rung's little smile out of his mind, and he thinks about how much he'd like to see it again. It's the captain's duty to care for his crew, and Rung moves to the top of his list.  
  
When he strides into Swerve's after shift one evening, and sees Rung sitting alone with a cup of engex and a datapad, Rodimus' spark gives him a little nudge. He changes directions before he fully thinks it through, and slides into the booth across from Rung.  
  
"Mind a little company?" he asks.  
  
"Not at all." Rung smiles, though it's a little tight in the corners, and puts down his datapad. "What can I help you with, Rodimus?"  
  
He shakes his head. "Oh, I'm all good. I was just checking on you. What'cha reading?"  
  
Rung blinks at him, confused. "It's an old datanovel, a collection of fictional stories about the configurations of the stars."  
  
"The humans had stuff like that!" Rodimus says, and he can't help himself, he's interested. "Stories about heroes and gods and stuff, all based on drawing lines between the stars, like connect the dots."  
  
Rung chuckles. "Yes, it's quite similar."  
  
"You must have had that for a long time," Rodimus says as he gestures for one of Swerve's serving bots to bring him a cube. "I didn't think there was much like that left."  
  
"There isn't." A touch of sadness infects Rung's field, but he hides it behind a smile. "I've been carrying this for so long I can't remember where I first acquired it."  
  
"Tell me about it?" Rodimus asks, and he knows he made the right choice, when Rung's smile turns genuine, and his optics soften. He leans closer, showing Rodimus his datapad as he quietly summarizes the stories within.  
  
It isn't until halfway through their conversation that Rodimus realizes what he saw in Rung that was so familiar: loneliness. Rung is lonely. And Rodimus knows all about loneliness. He puts up a wall, puts on a face, but loneliness is a killer. Rodimus feels it all too keenly.  
  
It's wrong, he thinks, for someone who spends so much time looking after Rodimus' crew, that there's no one to look after him. Rung deserves better.  
  
Maybe better than Rodimus, but he’s the one who’s here now, so he’s what Rung gets.  
  
"Have you ever seen _The Notebook_?" Rodimus blurts into a moment of contemplative, edging toward awkward, silence.  
  
"I'm unfamiliar with it," Rung says, and his fingers start a slow rap on the table.  
  
"It's a movie from Earth. Bluestreak's showing it tomorrow night. We should watch it," Rodimus says. "I think you'll like it."  
  
Rung laughs, a bit self-deprecating. "That may be true, but no one wants to see their therapist outside of office hours."  
  
"You're not just the therapist, you're also our friend," Rodimus insists as his engex arrives, and he chugs it down. "You do so much for everyone. You should take this opportunity to kick back and relax just like the rest of us."  
  
Rung gives him a long, inscrutable look, but his field betrays everything, singing with warmth and gratitude and affection. "You're right," he says. "It is important to indulge in down time. I should be taking my own advice in that regard."  
  
"Of course I'm right. I'm always right." Rodimus grins and waggles his spoiler pointedly. "But until then..." He leans forward hopefully. "Can you tell me more of these stories?"  
  
"You could always read the datapad yourself," Rung points out.  
  
Rodimus grins. "Yeah, but you add little anecdotes that aren't in the story so you're better at it."  
  
Rung laughs quietly. "Then yes, I will." He flicks the datapad back on, dragging his engex into reach, but before he continues, he looks up at Rodimus and says, "Thank you."  
  
"For what? You're the one reading to me," Rodimus says with his optics wide and bright and completely innocent.  
  
"That is true," Rung concedes as he adjusts his glasses. "Then you're welcome."  
  
Rodimus beams.  
  


***


End file.
